I've included the introduction video at the bottom where Jillian introduces the Gratitude project, links to free prompts and the products she uses. Don't wait for the holidays - get your craft on and get grateful. Scroll down and click on the down arrow at the bottom of the second image. Click on the download symbol (the down arrow).
Collins Dictionary explains mercy as follows, "if someone in authority shows mercy, they choose not to harm someone they have power over, or they forgive someone they have the right to punish." God had every right to punish humankind because they disobeyed him. But he showed us mercy, not only forgiving us, but adopting us into his family.
Imagine a criminal who was serving time in prison for his crimes, then the king asked his son to serve the rest of the sentence so that the criminal could be set free. And more than that, he adopted the criminal as his son and had him live in his palace. That's a bit like what God did for us. That's mercy. God has been merciful to us and he expects us to show mercy to others. If we show love and compassion towards people who deserve it, that's not mercy. Mercy is showing love and compassion towards those who don't deserve it. Matthew 5:46 says, If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors love their friends. Tax collectors were notoriously despised because they collected extra taxes for themselves. Verse 4 says, love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. CHALLENGE: Who can you show mercy to this week? What will that look like? If you have a sneaking suspicion there is a God but you're not quite sure, then this book is for you. It's a great book to give to friends who have questions too. John Dickson is an Australian dude who was a doubter himself until he dug deeper and found Jesus. In this book he:
LORD (in all capitals) is the English translation of God's sacred name in Hebrew. It is also translated as Jehovah. It means the one who is and who will be, or the eternal living one. It was so holy that the Jews never used to say it aloud when they were reading the scriptures. The Bible Project has a short video explaining the name which is really interesting - you can find it below. It's important for us to remember how holy God's name is and not to misuse it. People say "God," "Jesus Christ," and "Lord" all the time as an exclamation. Exodus 20:7 is one of the Ten Commandments and says, You must not use the name of the Lord your God thoughtlessly. The Lord will punish anyone who is guilty and misuses his name. Imagine if you started using your Mum's name as a swear word - it would be extremely disrespectful. It's the same when you misuse God's name. There are other words in the Bible that we misuse too which we shouldn't such as "holy." CHALLENGE: If you have been guilty of misusing God's name, ask him to forgive you and help you to watch your language. Find something else to say that will not offend God. |
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